Advice on learning to play the guitar

Its probably a hiding to nothing but I'm thinking of learning to play the guitar. First things first would be getting one and then finding somewhere online that I can use to learn as it would fit better with my family/work routine.

After a quick look on ebay there are various starter packages floating around the #100 mark which would be my budget and they all seem much of a muchness to me so maybe something like this Benson set up http://goo.gl/gn7Z0J

Next up would be what websites can be people recomend from the hundreds of them that fall out of google when you search?

Not sure about online beginner lessons but once you've got the basics and want to learn a tune, Songsterr is really good. The tab player is excellent and exactly what you want when learning a new song. If you're on a tablet/smartphone they do an app

My advice would be to pick a couple of easy songs that you like, learn the chords and just listen to them and try playing along. Get used to the chord changes and try to keep up with the rhythm.

Beatles songs are really simple, that's where I started many moons ago!

Those Benson guitars are crazily cheap! Seems like a good place to start, although I'd still recommend playing a few in a music shop and seeing what style you like and find easy to play.

I'll second what joshvegas said, and add that you should get into the habit if playing/practicing first thing in the morning. You'll retain more than if you play with a full mind and it gives you something to digest during the day.

Work first on being able to tune your guitar, first with a tuner and then by ear to music. A metronome or drum machine will really help you to not only play in time, but also to focus.

Guitarguitar.co.uk had a squire strat on sale for £80 the other day, that may be worth a look.

But before all that, tell us what it is you want to gain from learning what styles are of interest? Where are you located?

I would encourage you to pickup the guitar for 15 mins everyday for structured practice. You will progress further like this than in 1 90min session per week. If you can do more tha 15 min great!
Whatever you do, keep it structured, there's a difference between playing and practice
The best advice I can give you is to find a local teacher and get lessons. You can learn on your own but it's easier to learn with someone.
If you absolutely can't do that, justinguitar.com is one of the best sites I've seen.

The best advice I can give you is to find a local teacher and get lessons. You can learn on your own but it's easier to learn with someone

yep.

If you absolutely can't do that, justinguitar.com is one of the best sites I've seen.

yep+1

The justinguitar book is also apparently very good. Justinguitar is nice as it is all broken down into little bite sized chunks as well as getting you to learn to listen to music to work out chords, riffs etc. In the end though you will progress faster with a teacher as they will push you more

I personally would budget more for a guitar and go to shop to buy one so you can try it. Imagine how much you would love mountainbiking if you spent 70quid on your bike? Guitars are pretty much the same and a 200 pound guitar will be that much nicer than a 70 pound one

A great resource, gives advise on what to look for when buying a guitar, just look up the beginners course on the left hand side of the page. There are also video lessons on the site and play-a-long with tunes.

The Justin Guitar site is very good, but the most important thing is to decide what you want to play. Do you want to play some chords and sing over the top, play in a band, or play instrumental "performance pieces" on your own? I started (in my mid 40s) with a Squier "Strat" and an amp and it took me a few months to realize that what I really wanted to play was acoustic fingerstyle.

Rocksmith!
I've been playing on and off for about 20 years. Never taken any lessons and have mostly just noodled to myself along with my favourite popular beat combos. I have improved more in 6 months of playing Rocksmith than at any time in the past.
It's not perfect, but it does a lot.

I'm probably going to get Rocksmith in the new year, maybe it's not the best way to learn but it seems like a really good way to keep enthusiasm up which is what I've always lacked. (I learned about 5 chords and how to drop tune to D and that was it, guitar mastered)

Ive been attempting to learn for a year or so, not got very far. I would say the biggest issue you will have is time. I really struggle to find the time to sit down and practice everyday. Justinguitar is a great place to find stuff to learn, Rocksmith not so much. Although its great for practising shapes and slides etc. Also helps you not stare at the fret board permanently. You are more than welcome to borrow my Variax while you find something you like/want as its just sitting collecting dust at the moment!

Not sure about online beginner lessons but once you've got the basics and want to learn a tune, Songsterr is really good. The tab player is excellent and exactly what you want when learning a new song. If you're on a tablet/smartphone they do an app

My advice would be to pick a couple of easy songs that you like, learn the chords and just listen to them and try playing along. Get used to the chord changes and try to keep up with the rhythm.

It depends on what you want to do - learn to play the guitar, or learn to play some songs on the guitar. I'm in the latter category having done as suggested above - I can play some songs what I have learnt quite well, actually, and it sounds rather good. BUT I don't actually know how to play the guitar apart from the stuff I have learnt - I can't improvise anything else, or figure out a tune for myself.

If you want to be like me, learn the chords / tablature for the songs you want to play and practice them. If you actually want to learn how to play the guitar, I suggest a different tack, possibly lessons.

If you want an electric one, get an electric one, if you want an acoustic, get an acoustic. Don't get the acoustic just because a few folk on here said to get one. The most important thing is to enjoy playing what you have as you'll do it more often. If you get guitar A when you really wanted B it'll likely sit around more than if you'd bought the one you really wanted in the first place.

Plus, ime, cheap electrics are easier to play than cheap acoustics, so will make it more enjoyable, at least to begin with.

As mentioned above http://www.justinguitar.com/ is good and there's loads of good lessons on YouTube too, but you'll come on the most with a proper teacher to help the basics right.

My guitar is still on my old bedroom wall in my parents house... Along with all the other instruments I attempted to learn. I really have no musical talent what so ever probably gave up too easy though

Doesn't help that the music I listen to (and therefore want to play) is very technical.